''Sucker Punch'' is a play by the award-winning

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

playwright Roy Williams. It was first staged in 2010 at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. The play was nominated for the

Evening Standard Award The ''Evening Standard'' Theatre Awards, established in 1955, are the oldest theatrical awards ceremony in the United Kingdom. They are presented annually for outstanding achievements in London Theatre, and are organised by the ''Evening Standar ...

and the

Olivier Award The Laurence Olivier Awards, or simply the Olivier Awards, are presented annually by the Society of London Theatre to recognise excellence in professional theatre in London at an annual ceremony in the capital. The awards were originally known a ...

for Best New Play.

Plot

Set in a run-down London

boxing ring A boxing ring, often referred to simply as a ring or the squared circle, is the space in which a boxing match occurs. A modern ring consists of a square raised platform with a post at each corner. Four ropes are attached to the posts and pulled p ...

in the 1980s, two young black boys, Leon and Troy, are trained by a white trainer, Charlie, who had seen their potential. Troy soon rebels and is ejected from the gym by Charlie; he moves to the United States where he gains a boxing reputation. Charlie's daughter and Leon begin an affair, but when Charlie discovers this he objects at the idea of his daughter associating with a black man, forcing Leon to choose between training and his daughter. Leon leaves her and attempts to ingratiate himself with the white community to the fury of his family. Later, Troy returns with a fake

American accent North American English regional phonology is the study of variations in the pronunciation of spoken North American English (English of the United States and Canada)—what are commonly known simply as "regional accents". Though studies of regional ...

and a manipulative new manager; he and Leon are forced to fight.

Cast

Gary Beadle Gary Beadle (born 8 July 1965) is a British actor, best known for playing Paul Trueman in '' EastEnders'' and Gary Barwick in ''Operation Good Guys''. Life and career Beadle was raised as one of five children in Bermondsey, South London, wh ...

Daniel Kaluuya Daniel Kaluuya (; born 24 February 1989) is a British actor. Prominent both on screen and stage, he has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and no ...

Trevor Laird Trevor Laird is an English actor. Biography Born in Islington, London. Laird trained at the Anna Scher Theatre. Early roles included a 1976 role in a TV adaptation of the Peter Prince novel ''Playthings'', directed by Stephen Frears, and se ...

Nigel Lindsay Nigel Lindsay (born 17 January 1969) is an English actor. He is best known on television for his roles as Sir Robert Peel in the first two seasons of ''Victoria'', Jo Jo Marshall in the Netflix series '' Safe'' and as Barry in the BAFTA-winni ...

Jason Maza Jason Maza (born 24 April 1986) is an English actor, producer, director and screenwriter. Career Maza was accepted to the Central School of Speech and Drama, but at that time, he was already working as an actor so decided not to attend. Althou ...

*Sarah Ridgeway *

Anthony Welsh Anthony Michael Welsh (born 5 July 1983) is an English actor. He made his film debut in '' Red Tails'' (2012). On television, he is known for his role as Lucky Gordon in ''The Trial of Christine Keeler'' (2019–2020). Early life and education ...

Premiere

The play, staged in 2010 at the

Royal Court A royal court, often called simply a court when the royal context is clear, is an extended royal household in a monarchy, including all those who regularly attend on a monarch, or another central figure. Hence, the word "court" may also be appl ...

's ''Jerwood Theatre Downstairs'' in

, was directed by Sacha Wares. It received positive reviews with particular attention drawn to the young star

who won both the 2010 Critics Circle and

for ''Outstanding Newcomer''. The play also starred Anthony Welsh,

and Sarah Ridgeway. The play's set, where the downstairs theatre was converted into a boxing ring, was designed by Miriam Buether who won the

2010 for ''Best Designer''. Leon Baugh's choreography for the play won him the

for Best Theatre Choreographer."Leon Baugh Named Best Theatre Choreographer"
''Olivier Awards'', 13 March 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-14. Williams won the 2010

Alfred Fagon Award The Alfred Fagon Award is granted annually for the best new play by a Black British playwright of Caribbean or African descent, resident in the United Kingdom. It was instituted in 1996 and first awarded in 1997, to recognise the work of Black Br ...

, his second, for the play.

References

{{reflist 2010 plays English plays Fiction set in the 1980s Plays set in London Plays about race and ethnicity